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Lee et al. (2012)Emerging Genetic Patterns of the European Neolithic: Perspectives From a Late Neolithic Bell Beaker Burial Site in Germany

Ancient DNA analyses of human remains from the Late Neolithic Bell Beaker site of Kromsdorf, Germany showed distinct mitochondrial haplotypes for six individuals,which were classified under the haplogroups I1, K1, T1, U2, U5, and W5, and two males were identified as belonging to the Y haplogroup R1b.

In addition to mtDNA analyses, individuals were subjected to Y-SNP analysis, of which four were osteologically determined as males. Extracts from two male individuals, graves 5 and 8, yielded positive results for Y haplogroup classification. A consensus haplotype was determined from SNPs that were detected from both specimens (Table 3). Both males belong to Y haplogroup R1b, and one (grave 5) was further refined to haplogroup R1b1b2 by the mutation at M269. The SNP M269 failed to amplify for the extract from grave 8, thus it is not possible to infer whether or not the two individuals shared the same paternal lineage.

So it looks two males did not yield any haplogroup. The other male tested for R1b(xM269), while the other male tested for R1b1b2 or R1b-M269. I don't think they did any R-U106 testing, while the primer is shown on the supplementary file, they say nothing about it in the main text. It would be interesting to know whether that R1b-M269 is R1b-L11, or R1b-P312, or what else. Also very intriguing the lack of mt-DNA H is sample. A high presence of mt-DNA Haplogroup I was found in ancient Nordic samples if I recall correctly.

Lee et al. (2012)Emerging Genetic Patterns of the European Neolithic: Perspectives From a Late Neolithic Bell Beaker Burial Site in Germany

Ancient DNA analyses of human remains from the Late Neolithic Bell Beaker site of Kromsdorf, Germany showed distinct mitochondrial haplotypes for six individuals,which were classified under the haplogroups I1, K1, T1, U2, U5, and W5, and two males were identified as belonging to the Y haplogroup R1b.

This appears to confirm that Bell Beakers were R1b. It is part of the growing book of evidence of a Bell Beaker, Celtic story.

"The transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture in Europe is associated with demographic changes that may have shifted the human gene pool of the region as a result of an influx of Neolithic farmers from the Near East. However, the genetic composition of populations after the earliest Neolithic, when a diverse mosaic of societies that had been fully engaged in agriculture for some time appeared in central Europe, is poorly known. At this period during the Late Neolithic (ca. 2,800–2,000 BC), regionally distinctive burial patterns associated with two different cultural groups emerge, Bell Beaker and Corded Ware, and may reflect differences in how these societies were organized. Ancient DNA analyses of human remains from the Late Neolithic Bell Beaker site of Kromsdorf, Germany showed distinct mitochondrial haplotypes for six individuals, which were classified under the haplogroups I1, K1, T1, U2, U5, and W5, and two males were identified as belonging to the Y haplogroup R1b. In contrast to other Late Neolithic societies in Europe emphasizing maintenance of biological relatedness in mortuary contexts, the diversity of maternal haplotypes evident at Kromsdorf suggests that burial practices of Bell Beaker communities operated outside of social norms based on shared maternal lineages. Furthermore, our data, along with those from previous studies, indicate that modern U5-lineages may have received little, if any, contribution from the Mesolithic or Neolithic mitochondrial gene pool. Am J Phys Anthropol 2012. "

It's a great finding, but I would be extremely perturbed if an R1b didn't turn up anywhere in the Beaker horizon especially when Iberia is such a focal point.

The paper seems to stress that there is no strong selection process when choosing female mates, where as in previous Neolithic family structures, I think the same line of mtDNA J1 appeared in something like 12 different women. All 6 samples are different, but at least 4 of the 6 look very North-Eurasian in origin - probably carrying a lot of DNA that might be hunter-gatherer. (W5, I1a1, U5, U2)

Is the other male xM269 in reality, or is this just decay on the sample? Any experts on this topic?

"The SNP M269 failed to amplify for the extract from grave 8, thus it is not possible to infer whether or not the two individuals shared the same paternal lineage." = They couldn't get copies of the sequence. See Polymerase chain reaction.

In other words, the other male could well have been M269, but they couldn't prove it.

It's a great finding, but I would be extremely perturbed if an R1b didn't turn up anywhere in the Beaker horizon especially when Iberia is such a focal point.

The paper seems to stress that there is no strong selection process when choosing female mates, where as in previous Neolithic family structures, I think the same line of mtDNA J1 appeared in something like 12 different women. All 6 samples are different, but at least 4 of the 6 look very North-Eurasian in origin - probably carrying a lot of DNA that might be hunter-gatherer. (W5, I1a1, U5, U2)

What are other people's thoughts on this?

I’ll give a glance at U2 too, but I remember to you all that some years ago I found on SMGF and put on Mitosearch an U2d from Italy with many mutations. The great Indian geneticist Palanichamy wrote to me asking that sample to test it by an FGS. Unfortunately, as you know, the SMGF samples are anonymous and I wasn’t able to give it to him. Anyway U2 was found in Russia at Kostenky more than 30 years ago if I remember well.

All 6 samples are different, but at least 4 of the 6 look very North-Eurasian in origin - probably carrying a lot of DNA that might be hunter-gatherer. (W5, I1a1, U5, U2)

What are other people's thoughts on this?

What they are saying about the U5 is extremely interesting. They have looked at Mesolithic and Neolithic U5 previously found in Europe and concluded

Quote

that these lineages did not continue into the present. Based on this haplotype distribution, due to genetic drift or some demographic event modern U5 haplotypes do not appear to have had significant contributions from the Mesolithic/Neolithic gene pool. At least for this haplogroup, it appears there is no simple story of continuity from the Neolithic to the present and that central Europe may have experienced complex demographic events since the Neolithic involving groups that harbored distinctive maternal lineages

I'm not all that surprised, as I guessed that much of present U5 arrived with the Indo-Europeans, but I have yet to take in the data on where they got their modern samples. I would expect continuity in certain areas of Europe, notably the eastern fringe.

All 6 samples are different, but at least 4 of the 6 look very North-Eurasian in origin - probably carrying a lot of DNA that might be hunter-gatherer. (W5, I1a1, U5, U2)

What are other people's thoughts on this?

What they are saying about the U5 is extremely interesting. They have looked at Mesolithic and Neolithic U5 previously found in Europe and concluded

Quote

that these lineages did not continue into the present. Based on this haplotype distribution, due to genetic drift or some demographic event modern U5 haplotypes do not appear to have had significant contributions from the Mesolithic/Neolithic gene pool. At least for this haplogroup, it appears there is no simple story of continuity from the Neolithic to the present and that central Europe may have experienced complex demographic events since the Neolithic involving groups that harbored distinctive maternal lineages

I'm not all that surprised, as I guessed that much of present U5 arrived with the Indo-Europeans, but I have yet to take in the data on where they got their modern samples. I would expect continuity in certain areas of Europe, notably the eastern fringe.

Do you think this could be interpreted as male lineages who marry out as part of their outward looking and networking social system. Marrying beyond your locality in order to network, use marriage to find alliances and indeed to find someone of the same social status (if you are top of the pile locally) all makes sense to me. Marrying within ones community as non-beaker Neolithic people may have done. is a more inward looking system and perhaps less class orientated.

Is the other male xM269 in reality, or is this just decay on the sample? Any experts on this topic?

"The SNP M269 failed to amplify for the extract from grave 8, thus it is not possible to infer whether or not the two individuals shared the same paternal lineage." = They couldn't get copies of the sequence. See Polymerase chain reaction.

In other words, the other male could well have been M269, but they couldn't prove it.

Odds are they were and indeed they were close relations of each other if its a patrilocal, patrilineal society.

16129C 16182C 16183C 16189C 16362C 73G 152C 217C 263Gplus 7028T 10873C 14766TUnfortunately they have tested only from 15,995 to 16,429 and from 00034 to 00287.This haplogroup could be U2e1’2’3, not documented so far. It could be a U2e1 with C340T or some subclade…but it seems to me having found in the past a similar haplotype in Italy with 16182C and 16183C, elsewhere deleted. If I find it, I’ll post it soon.

16129C 16182C 16183C 16189C 16362C 73G 152C 217C 263Gplus 7028T 10873C 14766TUnfortunately they have tested only from 15,995 to 16,429 and from 00034 to 00287.This haplogroup could be U2e1’2’3, not documented so far. It could be a U2e1 with C340T or some subclade…but it seems to me having found in the past a similar haplotype in Italy with 16182C and 16183C, elsewhere deleted. If I find it, I’ll post it soon.

No Italians, but many Central Europeans get this hapolotype, with other mutations. I'd say that is typically European from many thousands of years.